CD’s, Vinyl & downloads
Boxmasters Light Rays (Keytone) The Boxmasters have an- other hot one on their hands, and in this writer’s opinion, it is their finest album to date. That’s say-
ing a lot, considering how much I loved the pre- vious stacks of wax. Bud, J.D., and Teddy were unable to do the summer tour to promote this one due to the pandemic, but believe me when I say this, it’s a goodie. The 60’s sound is stronger than ever on
this album, starting with the first song, which, I feel sure, will be the first single from the album. “Breathe Easy” a bouncy pop song with an infec- tious beat that you will find yourself dancing to, even if you are sitting at your desk, dancing in your spinning desk chair. (Yes, I was doing that, but don’t start painting a mental picture. It isn’t pretty.) But I love the lyrics. “the phone rings and it’s you and I breath easy, I breathe easy you're on your way you walk through the door and I breathe easy, I breathe easy cause you're okay.”
Breathing easy. I can dig it. “Satellite Guy” could also be a great sin-
gle. Again, the sound is like a cross between the Byrds and the Beatles. “Learn to Be” has an al- most Pink Floyd feel, and “Thirteen Days” im- mediately reminded me of Tom Petty. It’s another great song. One of the best on an album where every song is pretty damned amazing. The modulating vocal line of “Come What May” is equally compelling, and J.D. Andrew adds some fine guitar along with Teddy on organ. The title track, “Light Rays” is another favorite, as “The Air Around You.” (I just had a downright freaky vision of Taylor Swift dueting on this one with Bud. Hey, it could happen!) “Pipe Dream” rocks harder than most Boxmasters
tunes, at least in the beginning, before busting loose into a Beatle-esque melody, and then kick- ing back into rock mode. Totally original. “Downey Girl” is a very cool song. I wondered if it was about Karen Carpenter. She and her brother Richard were the only people I ever knew of from Downey, California. But I kinda doubt it. Although she was a drummer like Bud. Nah. Great song though. “You Gotta Try” wraps up Light Rays,
with a bit of positive reinforcement. “Known that failure could just make you bolder Why does losing only make you colder? Don’t forget that chip there on your shoulder That’s the friend you’ll need as you get older. You gotta try. . .” Light Rays is just a great album. I highly
recommend you play it loud and be sure you have on your dancing shoes. And remember, the 2021 summer tour will be here before you know it, so just breathe easy. It’ll be alright.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Blackberry Smoke Live from Capricorn Sound Studios (3 Legged Records) Southern Rock is alive and well, thanks in no small part to Charlie Starr and the rest of Blackberry
Smoke. Not only are they the hottest band out there playing original Southern Rock, they are also very good at paying tribute to the bands that came before them. They often toss out an Allman, Skynyrd or Tucker cover during their sets, and now they have gone all in with a great EP, a tribute to Capricorn Records, the premier recording studio of the Southern Rock era, which reopened last December, 50 years after its original opening. Recorded live in the Capricorn Studios,
the band hits the ground runnin’ with a cover of Toy Caldwell’s Marshall Tucker Band tune,
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